Camera for aerial photography



April 15 1924. O

Y B. F. SCHMIDT CAMERA FOR AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY Filed April 19. 1921 INV EN TOR.

3.1 1156% BYQ Bk I A T TORNEY Patented Apr. 15, 1 924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN I. SCHMIDT, 01 L08 ANGELIS, CALIFORNIA.

CAMERA FOR AERIAL PHOTOGRAIHY.

Application filed April 10, 1921. Serial No. 482,761.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residin at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, tate of California, have nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cameras for Aerial Photography; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marke t part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in cameras and particularly to a type used in aerial hotography, by which is meant photographing from an aeroplane, balloon or other similar device. 7

The principal object of my invention is to provide a camera, in connection with any deslred data giving devices, by means of which, besides the landscape or other photograph taken, thereon the readings of the data iving devices at the instant the photograph is taken.

These devices are such as a compass, speed-.

the film or plate will show ometer, gradometer or elevation indicator,

wind-speed indicator, aneroid barometer, an ordinary time piece, and any such instruments of a like nature with which modern aircraft may be equipped, and any or all of the dials of such instruments may be arranged to'have their facsimiles show on the photographic plate.

A p otograph taken in the air may thereore show conclusively the direction toward which it was taken, the time of day, the elevation of the ship, and other data of a similar nature without leaving anything to the memory of details.

Such a device should therefore prove of inestimable value to all who have occasion to take and make use of hotographs taken from the air, since valuab .e data is thus had which would otherwise be hard or impossible to acquire, or which would be dependent on the memory of the photographer.

In wartime for lnstance, aeroplane photography is now a well established branch of the military or naval forces. At the same time, aeroplanes doing such work are very often harassed by enemy planes and must fly first one way and then the other to outmanoeuver the enemy. The photographer must therefore work at a considerable disadvantage, and cannot always be expected hereon, which form a the photographer as regards such of value.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a pei'usal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the.

several views.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the camera to know in just what direction he is pointing showing a compass arranged in connection 7 therewith.

Fig. 2 is a side same bein zontalan Fig. 3 is reflector mounted in connection therewith. Fig. 4 is a plan of a photographic print showing the results obtamed.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the camera box of any desired construction having mounted at the back thereof a sensitized film or plate 2. In the box is anopaque partition 3, extending from the front to a point adjacent the surface of the plate 2 and at right angles thereto. This partition is positioned to divide the camera box into'two unequal portions 4 and 5 the latter being by far the smaller, it being emphasized however that the partition extends only to the plate 2, so that a single plate projects across both portions, and is used in common.

, At the forward end of the box 1 in central alinement with the portion 4 is a lens structure 6, adjustable by any suitable means to give a varied range of possible focus, as is customary. With this lens the main hotograph to be taken is recorded on the p ate 2.

At the forward end of the box in central a detached view of a compass and alinement with the portion 5 is fixed lens 7 adjustability of focus being unnecessary, as will be seen.

Fixed to the box and projecting forwardly thereof a suitable distance and on each side of the lens 7 are brackets 8, between which and pivoted thereto at diametrically opposed points is a frame 9, in-which is ivotally mounted, at diametrically. oppose points which are in turn positioned at right angles to the pivotal connections of the ring with the brackets, an instrument 10 of any of the various kinds as stated hereinbefore. For convenience and simplicity I have here shown a plain compass, and the mounting thereof 'ust described is a form commonly used wit ships compasses to maintain them in a horizontal position irrespective of the rolling and pitching of the ship, and of course serves in the same manner in the resent case, irrespective of the angling o the camera.

In the case of a compass, the north symbol or mark on the bowl must lie in a plane parallel to the axial planes of the lenses 6 and 7. Other instruments, having no connection with direction, may be mounted at random.

Mounted on the forward edge of the bowl 10 is a mirror 11, set at an redetermined angle relative to the face 0 t e bowl. The purposes of the mirror is this :When the camera is pointing directly downwards, as shown in Fig. 2, and which is the most common osition, the compass is then directly ahead of the lens 7, and the compass being always horizontal, the dial or card 10 is then parallel to the lens and is referably mounted with the frame and brac ets to lie substantially concentric therewith. Now as the camera is movedso that it lies parallel with the ground, as shown in Fig. 1, the outside of the bowl 10 only will be reproduced on the photographic plate, and the im I rtant feature, the card or dial 10 will be idden.

With the mirror mounted ahead of the instrument however, the reflection of the dial will be plainly visible therein, as seen from Fig. 3, and the plate when exposedwill show the reflected image.

The necessary shutter mechanism for the two lenses are of course actuated simultaneousl A mechanism for this purpose can be an has been worked out for stereoscopic and other cameras and forms no part of my invention.

Also it will be evident that while I haveshown and described a single instrument to be recorded on the plate, as many more ma be grouped within range of the lens 7 as it may be desired to record. Since these instruments are always at a fixed distance from this lens, the focus thereof need never be changed once it is set to record the image in clear and sharp outline.

The main lens 6 is preferably positioned ahead of the instrument 10 so that this lens will not record the instrument, which would be badly out of focus for said lens.

I have herein described and shown only one lens 7, for use with an number of instruments. It may be foun necessary however to use a lens for each such instrument, and I therefore reserve the right to do so.

From the foregoin description it will be readily seen that I ave roduced such a device as substantially fu fills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a de arture from the spirit of the invention, as efined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a camera ada ted to contain a sensitized element, space lenses for recording images on the same side of the element in s aced relation, data-giving means positioned directly ahead of one of the lenses and hun in a fixed plane and means whereby said ata giving means will be recorded on the element irrespective of the horizontal alinement and angular setting of the camera with respect to said data giving means.

2. In a camera adapted to contain a sensitiged element,1 inde ndgnt lepses for recor 1n space an 1n epen ent im thereo data giving means hung in a m lane and within focal range of one of said enses, and means whereby said data giving means will be recorded on the element irrespective of the angular setting of the camera with respect to said data giving means.

3. In a camera adapted to contain a sensitized element inde ndent lenses for recording spaced an independent images thereon, data lgiving means hung in a fixed lane and wit in focal range of one of said enses and a mirror fixed with said means and set at an angle to the face thereof ahead of and in a plane parallel to the corresponding lens.

4. In a camera adapted to contain a sensitized element,'independent lenses for recording spaced and independent images thereon, data 1giving means hung in a fixed lane and wit in focal range of one of said enses and reflecting means mounted in fixed dial in a constant plane, and means for enabling the image of said dial to be photo graihed irrespective of the angular setting of t e camera.

6 6. In a camera, a lens,

the camera and rojecting ahead of the lens, a frame hung t erein for swinging movement about a fixed axis, an instrument hung supports fixed to named axis, and reflecting means mounted with the instrument above the dial thereof and at an angle thereto.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BENJAMIN F. SCHMIDT.

isposed to the first 10 

